1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input device which allows a button input operation and a coordinate input operation to be performed in the same operation plane.
2. Description of the Related Art
An input device, such as a portable telephone, includes, for example, a pushbutton input, and can be used to perform various operations, such as inputting a telephone number and starting/ending talking on the telephone.
In recent years, internet connecting environments making use of portable telephones increased, so that various services are being provided using portable telephones. Accordingly, various menus are displayed on displays of portable telephones, and menu selections are frequently made.
When menu selections are being made using conventional input devices, a menu selectable location is moved by a push-type or a stick-type direction-indicating input which is provided separately of the pushbutton input of a portable telephone.
However, the operability of the above-described conventional input device is impaired because the pushbutton input operation and the menu selection input operation are carried out using different input mechanisms. In addition, the conventional input device has difficultly allowing quick menu selection because the directions in which menus are moved are limited to the vertical directions (upward and downward directions) or the horizontal directions (leftward and rightward directions).
Accordingly, in order to overcome the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an input device which allows a predetermined input section to be pressed and which allows cursor movement when, for example, carrying out menu selection, without impairing the operability of the input device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an input device which makes it possible for an operator to reliably know that he/she has pressed the input device.
To these ends, according to a basic form of the present invention, there is provided an input device comprising a planar input that allows a coordinate input operation; indicator section provided at a surface of the planar input, the indicator section indicating a plurality of input sections; and a control section that generates an operation signal in accordance with an input signal that the control section has received from the planar input. When the input device is set in a predetermined input mode, the control section detects that any one of the input sections has been touched, and generates an operation signal in accordance with a prescribed item of the input section. On the other hand, when the input device is set in another mode, the control section recognizes the input signal from the planar input as coordinate data regardless of what is indicated at the touched input section.
In the basic form, the operation of any one of the input sections and the input operation of coordinate data that is carried out without considering the input section can be carried out in the same operational plane. Therefore, large movements of fingers are not required, so that the operability of the input device is not impaired.
In one form of the basic form of the present invention, the input device further comprises a display mechanism disposed beside the planar input. When the input device is set in the another mode, the display mechanism provides a display in correspondence with the coordinate data.
In still another form of the basic form of the present invention, the input device further comprises a tactile feedback generator that provides a pressing reaction force produced when any one of the input sections formed at the indicator section is pressed.
The input device may comprise a plurality of the tactile feedback generators that are separately provided at locations in correspondence with the input sections formed at the indicator section.
The tactile feedback generator may be provided at only one location at the back side of the planar input. Furthermore, the tactile feedback generator may be formed using dome-shaped inversion plates disposed at the back side of the planar input.
By virtue of this structure, the operator can know that he/she has performed a pressing operation, so that it is possible to prevent, for example, the operator from forgetting to perform the pressing operation. Therefore, it is possible for the operator to reliably perform the pressing operation.
When the tactile feedback generator is formed using dome-shaped inversion plates disposed at the back side of the planar input, a switch input operation may be performed by the inversion plates.
In this case, since the switch input operation is not performed until any one of the inversion plates is inverted, it is possible to prevent an input operation when the indicator section is only touched.